Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the reduction in a special guardianship allowance paid to him as there is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s actions to warrant this.

The complaint

1. Mr X said the Council had wrongly reduced the weekly amount paid to him as a special guardian. He wants the Council to pay the same amount as an equivalent foster carer receives.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

4. Councils have weekly rates for payments to foster carers. Rates paid to special guardians do not have to be the same as they can claim other benefits for children that foster carers cannot. The Council’s responses to Mr X’s complaint, which he has provided, show how the Council calculated the amount paid when reviewing the payments. These show that the amount paid, plus the child-related benefits to which he is entitled and foster carers are not, total the same amount as an equivalent foster carer would receive.

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Final decision

5. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to warrant investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman